Lappet-loom.



Patented Dec. 23, I902.

T. STONE & J. HAMPSUN,

LAPPET LOOM.

[Applicafiion filed m 15, 1902.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES- No. 7|6,493. Patented Dec. 23, I902. T. STONE & J. HAMPSON. LAPPET LOUM.

(Application filed May 16, 1902.)

(No Muriel.) b 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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THOMAS STONE AND JOSEPH HAMPSON, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO PIERCE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

LAPPET LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,493, dated December 23, 1902.

Application filed May 16, 1902. Serial No. 107,551. (No model.)

To (0Z5 whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS STONE, a citizen of the United States of America, and J OSEPH HAMPSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, both residing at New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of looms commonly known as lappet-looms. Heretofore in looms of this character the supporting-bars for the needles which carry the ad ditional threads employed to produce designs or figures in the otherwise plainly-woven fabric have been constructed so as to be capable of variation or adjustment longitudinally only by the operation of the pattern card or chain, and the only way in which the relative position of the same figures or series of figures in the woven fabric could be varied has been by changing the card or chain or pattern wheel which operated these bars, while by our improvements the positions of the figures in relation to each other can be changed at any time by stopping the loom for a very brief period and adjusting our improved devices and without in any way manipulating or changing the pattern card or chain.

Our improvements consist more particularly in the novel construction of the devices which independently control and regulate the amount of longitudinal reciprocation of the bars that support the needles which carry the additional threads intended to produce the design or figure to be woven into the otherwise plainly-woven fabric. These improvements are applicable to any of the well-known Jacquard or pattern-chain looms, which it will be unnecessary to describe, except in so far as the portions thereof operate in connection with the novel features, which will be understood by those skilled in this art from the following description and accompanying drawingspvherein the improvements are shown applied to portions of a modern pattern-chain loom.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a loom, showing the levers and connections between-the pattern-chain. and the parts which operate upon the lappet-thread needle-bar through our improved devices. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the said needle-bar with the connection through our improved locking, adjusting, and releasing devices and other connections with the levers shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan, on an enlarged scale, of our improvements. Fig. 4: is a plan of a small piece of fabric, showing small isolated lappet figures woven therein. The light line connecting the figures in this instance is a thread lying over the plain fabric and is not woven in, but is intended subsequently to be out off from the fabric.

Referring to the drawings, upon the frame A a single cam-wheel C is shown,which causes the outer end of a lever D to vibrate up and down by an attached cam-roll 01, shown in broken lines, which runs in the cam-groove, and by means of a connecting-rod E the lever D reciprocates a pawl, (not shown,) which gives a sprocket-wheel F an intermittent rotary movement, thereby feeding step by step the pattern-chain G, which runs over the sprocket-wheel F. Supported over the chain G is a lever H, provided with a small antifriction-roll it, which bears upon the patternchain. There are as many of these levers H as there are different operations to be performed in connection with the lappet needlebars; In the mechanism illustrated there are three such operations. The free ends of the levers H are severally connected by rods 1 I 1 with one arm of the respective bellcrank levers K K K at the bottom ofthe machine, and the other arms of these levers K are respectively connected by rods L L L with one arm of another set of bell-crank levers M M M near the top of the front part of the frame of the loom. The other or upper arms of the crank-levers M M M are respectively connected to the needle-bar B to the link or frame N, which serves to support our improved needle-bar locking and adjust- 5 ing devices, and by means of which link the needle-bar is reciprocated to produce the lappet figure while weaving the fabric and to the locking and releasing latch P of our improved devices.

All of the above-mentioned parts are old and well known, excepting the novel features contained in the frame N, including the latch P, which will be hereinafter more particu- 5 larly described.

The lappet-thread needles are attached to clamps b and by them are secured to the bar 13, and by the action of a spring 0, Fig. 2, this bar always has the tendency to assume its extreme right-hand or normal position, which it will do when not acted upon by the operating parts at its opposite end. The mechanism for raising and lowering the needle-bar B is not shown, but may be of any well-known construction.

Our novel features consist of a rod R, held in and arranged to slide through a hole in the end of the frame N and also through a hole in the stop-block S, which block is capable of adjustment longitudinally of this frame between its two sides. The rod R is provided with a projection or head 9" upon its left-hand end, and its opposite end is attached to the bar B, as shown in Fig. 2. When the bar B is in its normal position, as it would be when the rod R is in the position shown in Fig. 3, and the pattern-chain operates the bell-crank M through its connection with one of the levers H, the frame N is reciprocated and with it the bar B, to which the frame is connected by the rod R. During this time the series of figures m, Fig. 4, are Woven into the fabric. When these figures are completed, the bar B,with its attached needles, is raised and the patternchain operates the bell-crank l through its connections with the lever H, whereby the bar B is pulled to the left, and through its attachment to the bar B the rod R will also slide to the left through the hole in the frame N and block S until the head 1' strikes and passes over the projecting lip 19 of the latch P, which will yield by reason of its connection with a spring through the rod T and sliding bar T. The lip 19 will then engage the back side of the head 1" and hold the bar B in that position in relation to the frame N as long as the latch remains in the position shown in Fig. 2. While in this position the pattern-chain will again operate the bellcrank M causing the bar B to reciprocate in the proper manner to weave another series of lappet figures w. As soon as that series of figures is completed the bar B is again raised and is held in the raised position until the portion of plain fabric is woven between the series of figures w and the series 00. Then the lip p of the latch P is withdrawn from the head r by the action of the bell-crank M which is connected with one arm of a bellcrank lever p pivoted in the frame N at 19 while the other arm of the leverp is provided with a stud which engages a slot 19 in the latch P. (See Fig. 3.) The bell-crank M is operated by a pattern-chain through the connections hereinbefore mentioned. The bar B thus released is pulled back again to its normal position by the spring 0, which position is determined by the stop-block S, against which the head 1* of the rod R is brought to bear. The bar Bis then lowered, and the series of figures 00 are woven in a position corresponding in relation to the width of the fabric to that of the figures at. If it is desired to weave a piece of fabric with each adjacent pair of longitudinal lines of figures nearer together or farther apart, all that is necessary to do is to change the position of the stop-block S in the frame N by turning the adjusting-screw s in or out in a threaded hole in the end of the frame N and when the block S is in the desired position turn up the check-nut n to prevent any accidental movement of that screw. Heretofore in order to effect a change of this character it has been necessary to change the pattern-chain so as to vary the amount which it will pull the bar B when it is shifted from one position to another by the operation of the bell-crank M and its connections with the lever H.

It will be seen that the rod T and bar T are not essential to the proper operation of the latch 1-, for the crank-lever 19 may be connected directly with a fixed part of the loom by a spring, which may occupy substantially the same position as this shown for the rod T.

We claim- 1. In a lappet-loom embodying the usual needle-bar and mechanism to periodically shift said bar laterally of the loom from its normal to a second predetermined position, the combination of devices to lock the bar automatically in its second position, and to hold it locked, independently of the shifting mechanism, while one series of lappet figures is woven, and mechanism to release the bar and permit it to be returned to its normal position for Weaving other lappet figures.

2. In a lappet-loom embodying the usual needle-bar and mechanism to shift said bar laterally of the loom, to vary the positions of the lappet figures woven in the fabric, the combination of independent devices to lock said bar automatically in one of its positions, and adjustable means to determine, as desired, the other position to which said bar shall move when released from the lock.

3. In combination with the mechanism which operates the needle-bar of a lappetloom, an independent locking device which is operated and caused to hold said bar when it is pulled to one extreme position, and mechanism operated by a pattern-chain of the loom to release the lock and permit the bar to return to its other extreme position, for the purpose specified.

4. In combination with the mechanism which operates the needle-bar of a lappetloom during the weaving of lappet figures, an automatically-operating lock to hold said bar in one of its positions, and adjustable means combined with the lock to determine, as desired, the other position to which said bar shall move when released from the lock.

5. In a lappet-1oom provided with the usual sliding needle-bar, the combination of a locking-bolt attached to the needle-bar, independent connecting mechanism between the locking-bolt and the lappet-figure pattern-chain, devices in such connecting mechanism which normally engage the bolt, a latch upon said devices to engage the bolt and hold the needle-bar in one position while such figures are woven and mechanism to release the bolt and permit it with the needle-bar to move to other positions where other such figures are Woven.

6. Means for lockin g and releasing the sliding needle-bar of a lappet-loom, independently of the bar reciprocating mechanism, which consists of a link N, a lock-bar R provided with a projection at one end, a latch to engage the projection and mechanism to disengage it, substantially as described.

7. Devices for changing, as desired, the amount of movement of the sliding needlebar laterally of a lappet-loom, and independently of other bar-operating mechanism therein, which consist of a link in the connection between the needle-bar and the weaving pattern-chain, a lock-rod attached at one end to the needle-bar and adapted to slide in said link, a projection at the other end of the lockrod, and an adjustable stop to engage the projection on said rod, and determine as desired the limit of movement of the sliding needle-bar in one direction.

' THOMAS STONE.

JOSEPH HAMPSON.

Witnesses:

LoUIs A. DELANo, WM. F. CAsWELL. 

